Gilbane Building Co.

Scope Of Work

As part of the university’s Welcome Home 2025 Plan, EMU selected Gilbane Development Company to lead a transformative three-year campus housing initiative. The project team includes Gilbane Development Company as developer, Gilbane Building Company and Michigan-based Clark Construction as joint venture design-builder, Mackey Mitchell Architects as architect of record, and minority-owned Moody Nolan as associate design architect. As a critically important and exciting equity initiative, the university’s Welcome Home 2025 Plan will completely transform the existing on-campus student housing experience ensuring that all EMU on-campus residents have access to quality, affordable housing designed to meet 21st century standards. This comprehensive plan will demolish 1,500 beds of outdated housing, renovate 2,025 beds of the existing inventory and construct 700 new beds that will diversify the unit type options available to serve students from their first year through graduation.

The Details

Priorities for the deployment of resources were carefully considered through extensive engagement of the campus community. Nearly 2,000 students, 150 Faculty, and countless staff provided valuable feedback through surveys, focus groups, and student and faculty senate meetings. This feedback was evaluated at regular meetings with departments such as EMU Facilities, Planning and Construction, Housing and Residence Life, Finance and Administration, Plant Operations, Public Safety, Athletics and Admissions.

Through this highly consultative process, providing long-term affordability for students remained the primary objective. In addition, the resulting updates will include two new student living facilities: Lakeview Apartments – a 400-bed apartment-style residence hall adjacent to the new Student Center and overlooking Lake House Pond on the north side of campus – and Westview Apartments, a 300-bed apartment community that will serve as a dynamic gateway between the west campus, which features many of the University’s Athletics facilities, and the main campus. Planned improvements to existing housing include new air conditioning; updated access control systems, new finishes in bathroom areas, and proven technologies for life safety. By design, the common spaces and upgrades will facilitate social interaction and a sense of community, all while supporting a vibrant living-learning experience that will promote success for a diverse student population.

New construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2022 and conclude by the fall of 2024. All renovations will be completed by Fall 2024.